The Free Uber campaign nears its end.
The ridesharing laws of Portsmouth and Manchester will soon be voided by HB 1697, which provides ‘light touch’ regulation of ridesharing at the state level.
This is good news both for Uber and new competitors like Arcade City.
Arcade City grew out of the Free Uber campaign. Our core team realized that while we were defending consumer choice in Portsmouth, Uber was busy lobbying Concord to restrict that choice by attempting to rig New Hampshire’s ridesharing market exclusively in their favor.
Uber’s lobbyists spent fifteen months trying to get Uber’s business model encoded into law statewide. It’s the “Uber model legislation” they are ramming through legislatures across the country, mostly successfully.
After the NH House passed Uber’s version of the bill on first reading last month, a small handful of Arcade City drivers worked with the commerce committee. We informed them of our different business model and provided feedback to help remove the Uber-specific provisions of the bill. They were very receptive to our arguments and did not need much convincing.
Speaking before the vote, the bill’s lead sponsor told the chamber that all of our concerns were addressed:
“Those organizations and entities that sent memos and emails out expressing those concerns, we were able to address all of them. For insurance, we were able to lower the insurance from $1 million to $300,000. We have actually de-Uberized this bill. We have now taken out those things that made [this unique to Uber]. For instance if you want to start a TNC — thanks to you folks it’s only $500 — and thanks to you folks, we have also now made sure that they can do other things Uber doesn’t do. For instance, they can take cash.”
Uber tried to rig New Hampshire’s TNC market in their favor. Arcade City successfully pushed back. On our new website launching next week, we’ll share ideas and techniques to help AC drivers around the world push back against Uber’s attempts to use the force of government to erect barriers to competition.
Apparently Uber is afraid of a level playing field. Arcade City is not.
Hey Uber: That’s one state down, 49 to go.
So, you are fighting to get Uber out of private taxis. You also stole the Uber model they created. The amusing thing is you drop your insurance from one million to three hundred thousand. One crash will bankrupt you.
Uber isn’t the only ride-sharing app on the market, Jacks. While there’s the more popular Lyft, there’s also ShareACar, Flinc, Easy Taxi, Sidecar Ride, Car2Go, and ZipCar to name but a few. Are you saying that all of them stole their business model from Uber as well, Jacks?
Bye bye Free Kenne! The FSP doesn’t want you anymore! Deviants!
Drac Vermell Did this article mention the other types of ride sharing? No it didn’t. We are talking about Uber or did you not read the title of the article again.
No Jacks. You’re not paying attention again. In your previous comment, you accused Christopher David of stealing Uber’s business model. I was pointing out to you that your accusation was off the mark because other ride-sharing apps use the same (or similar) models. Don’t you think it’s high time you started reading other people’s comments more carefully before you decide to reply to them? Do enjoy appearing foolish?
Do you know who is “appearing foolish”, draccc?
You flinty, and anyone else who has been and continues to defend and support Free Keene and friends like Christopher David. The ship is sinking and it’s time to jump! Bye bye Free Keene!
Drac Vermell aka Church Lady – I have already commented. I am sorry you can’t keep up with what this article is about. Go back to Flint. I’m sure he knows how to take care of your frustrations.
And I’m just flabbergasted that you still need to depend upon ad hominem remarks that accuse your critics of having homosexual tendencies. You don’t do this with your patients when they don’t follow your counsel, do you Jacks? How many of those drug addiction rehabilitation centers did you say you owned again? Was it twelve of thirteen? I forget.
And I am just flabbergasted that you still support these deviant friends of yours, draccc. The FSP is cutting ties with your buddy Ian Bernard, and you claim your grandchildren are in the FSP. Do they support you in your fervent effort in siding with such abhorrent behavior?
I’ve never extended my support of anyone at Free Keene, Shylock dear. That has always been a figment of your overdeveloped imagination. I merely share some of their positions concerning less government. As for this petition that you’ve been enthusiastically referring to, don’t you think you’re getting yourself a tad bit overexcited over what might be nothing? I see how quickly you’ve forgotten the lesson I taught you regarding patience. Petitions aren’t guaranteed to lead to their intended outcomes, lamb. You may be setting yourself up for disappointment.
Lamb? What are you mumbling about? What do your grandchildren think of Ian Bernard and company and you siding with them on a regular basis. If you support these deviants about just political views, you will be still lumped in with all of their twisted ideas. You are guilty by association draccc. You should be ashamed of yourself!
That’s so adorable, lamb! You’re still standing by your stark philosophy that if I’m not with you, I’m against you! How delightfully chauvinistic! Tell me, did you learn this from your kindergarten teacher, or did you come up with it yourself?
LOL @ Bsizzle whining and crying about Free Keene.
Ah draccc, you typed lamb in your second to last post, dear. You are clearly not making any sense here. Lol. You can stop now.
That’s just one of my pet words for you, dear. Do you find such endearments disagreeable?
Wow right? Truly delusional you are draccc.
“…the more popular Lyft…” ??? Really? Lyft is wildly UNpopular around here. Ive never met a single person who hasn’t heard of & know what Uber is. Lyft, on the other hand, most people have never heard of. Of course most people that actually use ridesharing services regularly, will be familiar with Lyft – but even then, most of THOSE people have never attempted to use it. Uber trumps all the others (maybe besides actual taxis) by far.
That wasn’t what I meant, Katlyn. I was saying was that Lyft is more popular than the other examples I gave in that sentence (ShareACar, Flinc, Easy Taxi, Sidecar Ride, Car2Go, and ZipCar).
De-Uberizing may have gone too far. Lowering the insurance requirement–for when riders are being carried–from $1,000,000 per accident to $300,000 may expose drivers on TCN’s with such low coverage to substantial liability. I am an Uber “Partner” and would be reluctant to drive for a TCN with such low coverage. Remember, your insurance coverage–in actual practice as well as in HB 1697–does not apply when you are on-line with a TCN or carrying riders acquired through a TCN.
@Gene Sidore: You’re welcome to buy extra insurance, if you like. No one’s stopping you.
Have you looked at the cost of that “extra insurance” after you disclose you will be “ride sharing”?
@Gene Sidore: Have you? And what’s your point, anyway? You say that you want to have more – surely you don’t imagine that the extra is free if mandatory, and more expensive if optional?
My point is that many people may partner with a TCN without thinking through all the implications of the liability to which they are exposing themselves, and that–while I don’t disagree with the goal of lowering the barriers to competition, in fact I am in favor of it because it will give me more options–I feel many people could be in for a horrible shock if they have an accident involving disabling injury and find that what they had assumed was their automobile liability insurance coverage didn’t cover them while they were logged on to a TCN. If you drive… Read more »
@Gene Sidore: If someone is that incompetent, they probably should not be operating a motor vehicle, at all.